


all the stars in the sky

by weatheredlaw



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Character, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 08:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11482392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: It's spring when Shane ends up on the shortlist of people who've dated the farmer.





	all the stars in the sky

**Author's Note:**

> because i romanced them both and i think they should smooch.

It's spring when Shane joins the short list of people who've dated Lydia Farmer. Shitty timing, he thinks, considering how freaking beautiful the valley is right now – flowers and blooms and trees and soft breezes. All of it's like the kind of thing you think about when you think about being in love.

(And he wasn't, it wasn't long enough, but it hurts, you know – it hurts to come out of hiding and be _free_ for the first time and then –)

He wants to have a drink. It's been a few weeks since she dumped him in the middle of his chicken coop, eyes on the floor as his birds clucked softly and feathers sort of fluttered around her like a god damn angel. She's so damn nice and so damn beautiful that Shane can't even get mad. He'd break up with him, too.

But he's not the only one, which sort of softens the blow. And that's how he ends up having herbal tea at one in the morning with Abigail down by the docks.

 

* * *

 

The tea is leftover from Lydia. A random gift after he started getting clean. Sweet herbs and flowers that she'd made into a tea herself. Shane brews it in one of Marnie's travel mugs and takes it on a late walk around midnight, heading to the docks and kicking off his shoes as he walks through the sand on the beach. When he finally gets to the water, he settles down and takes a sip. Makes him think of her, but not in a bad way.

Sure he's broken up, and yeah, it hurts like hell, but –

Well. But nothing, he figures. That sums it up. He'll be angry later, he supposes. When the pain has settled and he can see a bit clearer. He'll be angry when he sees her with someone else, maybe, or when he sees Robin and Demetrius dancing like no one else is there. When Marnie looks across the bar at Lewis like she's keeping a secret.

Maybe then he'll be angry. Maybe.

Until then –

“God, are you drinking out of that?”

Shane turns and finds Abigail standing barefoot on the edge of the beach, arms folded over her chest.

“It's tea,” he says, and turns back to the ocean. He hears her sandy feet pad across the wood planks and feels her settle down next to him.

“Don't believe it.” Shane passes her the mug and she takes a sip. “Alright,” she concedes. Then: “Lydia made this.”

“Yeah.”

“Shit.” She looks out at the water. “Sorry, by the way. I, uh. I know how you feel.”

“I figured.” Shane sniffs. “Why're you out?” This is the longest conversation he's had with Abigail ever. But, he figures, they never really had anything in common before.

“Couldn't sleep. My parents got into a fight and kept me up. I need to move out, but, you know.” She gestures behind her toward the general direction of the valley. “Can't live in the place, can't leave the place. What're you gonna do?”

“You could ask Robin to build you a place.”

“I'm broke.”

“You could get a _job_ ,” he adds.

“Oh, _where?_ ”

“Your dad's place.”

Abigail snorts. “He wouldn't pay me. Not while Joja's still open.”

Shane shrugs. “Get a job at Joja.”

“Don't be an ass.”

He sighs and takes another sip. “It was just a suggestion.” He passes her the mug again and she takes a sip. “How long did you miss her?”

Abigail passes the mug back. “Few months. I got over it. We were only together for a season or so.”

“True.”

“You two were together a lot longer.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

Abigail nods. “Anytime.”

 

* * *

 

It becomes an unspoken tradition, after a while. They both suffer from insomnia, and they both remember what it was like to kiss the same woman. That sort of thing bonds you sometimes. On Friday he stops standing alone at the bar and buys her and her friends a pizza or two. They're only a few years younger than him, but he feels far away from the things they like and the things they do. Video games on the weekend, band practice, programming. Shane breeds chickens and sells their eggs to Pierre when he can. He likes grid ball too much and craves whiskey.

But Abigail's sweet, in her own way, and her friends are solid.

So Shane sort of finds something, somewhere along the way. It's not so bad. It's not great either, especially when Lydia comes by and chats with them. She tries her best to be polite, and she tries her best to be his friend. She still brings him pepper poppers and homemade pizza when she has some leftover, and Shane is trying to be a good sport about it.

“She brings me a cobbler every once in a while. Made me one for my birthday.”

“That was nice of her.”

Abigail smiles. “That's the problem, I guess. She's just so _fucking_ nice.”

“The nicest.”

“Like, _constantly!_ She's friends with my mom and fucking _exercises_ with them. She and Jodi are super tight. She's even friends with Jodi's broody husband.”

“He's a veteran, Abby.”

“He's sad.”

“Well, he could use some friends.” Shane's started bringing her a mug of her own. Marnie's noticed once, but only mentioned it casually. Shane had just shrugged, said he was drinking more tea these days. Not a lie, really. “Maybe you should expand your own friendship circle.”

“Hey, I've been hanging out with you, haven't I?”

“True.”

She grins and nudges him with her elbow. “We're the _Dumped by the Farmer_ club.”

“Love it. I'll have Emily make us some patches.”

 

* * *

 

Fall. Lydia and Harvey were spotted holding hands at the end of the summer and now they're definitely going steady. Shane waits for the anger to come, but –

Nothing.

Used to be he might have felt that way.

Maybe it's all that herbal tea. Maybe those granolas know what they're talking about. He meets Abigail by the docks and they commiserate for a few moments, but –

Nothing.

She asks about his chickens. She leans against him and Shane doesn't really question it. It's chilly on the beach now, but they're still barefoot. Blue, cold toes hovering above the water. He wishes he'd swam more in the summer, now.

“I think it's sweet what you did for Jas.”

“She needed someone.”

Abigail nods. “Maybe you needed someone, too.”

“Maybe.” He leans back. “I had people, once.”

“I'm sorry you lost them.”

“It's alright.” He gives her a gentle nudge with his shoulder. “I found some more.”

 

* * *

 

It's raining and Shane doesn't know why, but he needs to get out.

This isn't even about Lydia anymore. He's happy for her, and when he'd told Marnie that after she'd asked, asked so carefully – _are you jealous_ – she'd smiled.

“All grown up,” she said, and gave him a little pat on the back.

And now it's raining and he has the urge to run out into it and be _reckless._ Not in the way he would have, not in a way that'll get him plastered. He's _sad_ because he's always sad, because being depressed doesn't always just stop, and getting dumped doesn't _help_ , and tea can't _solve_ everything –

But dammit he's _getting there._

(And at night, sometimes, he imagines purple hair.)

Marnie is out of town, Jas is at Vincent's, and Shane just starts running. He runs straight to the beach and that's a stupid idea, he's knows it, but he's there and he wants her to be there, too.

She isn't, but he can imagine her there in their usual spot by the docks, passing candy from the shop back and forth. He can imagine her giving him a hard time for being a Joja stooge and he can hear the lilt in her voice as she talks about pumpkins and pies and _leaves_ changing colors. It's almost winter, there's a bite in the air and the beach will be white with snow eventually, but, right now – it's dark with rain water and Shane is –

He's _happy._

“ _What the hell are you doing?_ ”

He turns and she's there and she shouldn't be because his life doesn't _give_ him things like this. Doesn't reward his bad behavior and poor choices, but – today it does.

“Shane it's _freezing_ out here.” Abigail runs toward him and grabs his wrist. “You need to come with me.”

“It's fine,” he says.

“You'll get _sick._ ”

“I'll get better.”

She rolls her eyes. “Stop being stupid, this is ridiculous. I know you're having a hard time and I know you're sad, I get it, but this--”

Shane pulls her closer. They've been close before. He's almost kissed her before, too. But this is –

trite, cliché, stupid, ill-advised –

the first time he's ever thought it might have serious consequences. Good ones, mostly.

“...Shane--”

“I really like you,” he says.

“I like you too, which is why I don't want you to _freeze_ to death--”

“Can I ask you something.”

“Fine. _Yes._ ”

“Can I kiss you?”

Abigail opens her mouth to smart off again, but pauses. “...What?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“...Why?”

“Because I like you. Because I've been thinking about what it would be like.”

“You've...been thinking about kissing me.”

“Yes.”

Abigail's cheeks go pink in the rain. “This is ridiculous.”

“Why? Because it's raining?”

“ _Especially because of that._ ”

“Alright. We'll go inside.”

“No, I--” She reaches up and grabs onto his jack and pulls herself closer. “I've...always wanted to be kissed in the rain.”

“Yeah?”

She looks up at him. Smiles. “Yeah,” she says.

“Lucky me.”

Her lips are cold and wet and slick and Shane is shivering for a lot of reason as he holds her close and kisses her and kisses her and _kisses_ her. It feels good. It feels like sitting by the ocean and drinking tea. It feels like shooting pool and eating cold pizza and beating her at her favorite video game.

It feels like _them_ , and Shane could do it all day.

“Inside, chicken boy.”

“That's a _terrible_ nickname.”

“Yeah, well, it's better than the one my dad has for you.”

“What's that?”

“You don't wanna know,” she says, and pulls him away from the beach.

 

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr @ weatheredlaw


End file.
